Forging A Dragon
by ConsumedPolecat
Summary: Legends of heroes and dragons cause a young blacksmith to seek a life of adventure and danger; however, his class hinders him from his dreams. Come along for the ride as he is thrown to the wolves, or rather, Grimm. Team building will be accomplished differently from Canon.
1. Chapter 1

**Forging A Dragon will be my first true story, and I really hope you guys enjoy it. If you like it let me know; if you don't like it let me know why in a review and I will take your information and see what I can do. Your reviews would help a beginner like me tremendously. Enjoy!**

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Are heroes truly the only people who aren't weak?

Was it the armor that gave them the toughness to go on? Did they have a secret no one else knew?

I had decided that was not entirely true; armed with the determination to become a hero and prove the world wrong, I set out down the beaten dirt path leading from my village to the east.

My destination was Vale, but more specifically I was headed for Beacon Academy for Heroes. Every hero that ever passed through our village could be heard talking about their days at Beacon. Ever since I had heard of the place I wished to attend.

 _Beacon would never accept you; you're just a commoner._

Unfortunately, Fate decided to be cruel to me by filling me with grandiose fantasies and making me a commonplace worker.

Could I really change my fate and become a hero to stand against the evils of Remnant?

No one has done what I have decided to do. Who in their right mind would?

It had been around three hours since I left Greenwood, and I unrolled my scroll, the faded and yellow page slowly forming words. In the center was one large word: **Blacksmith.** I had opened and closed my scroll many times, and each time I prayed to the Twins that the word would change into another. It did not, however, causing me to doubt that decision.

It consisted of other words, but the weight of that word alone grabbed my attention with an iron grip and refused to let go.

The other words carried with them their own problems; my stats were all out of proportion to be a hero. Not to mention my soul skill would not do a thing in a real fight.

\\-/

Jaune Arc

Greenwood

Blacksmith

Level: 15

 **Attributes**

Str: 20

Con: 18

Dex: 13

Agi: 9

Chr: 8

Wil: 15

Int: 16

Spi: 30

 **Soul Skill**

Metallic Soul – Allows blacksmith to use metallurgy to cause one metal to become a new metal. Must have used the metal prior.

/-\

There was a second page behind this one that has other things on it; there was, however, only one piece of yellow parchment contained in this scroll. I had long since given up on trying to understand how that worked.

As I looked up, I caught sight of a small, blue bird flapping across the narrow, dirt path; it was followed by another dimmer colored bird and disappeared in the trees. The birds were chirping a beautiful song off in the distance while squirrels rustled about in the trees; both were no doubt looking for mates. Where once the trees were just bare bones, the canopy of all the trees whistled in the breeze not a single leaf out of place; the breeze carried on it the sweet, uplifting smells of spring in Sanus. Everything in the woods reminded me that there was a natural order to the universe, and I, Jaune Arc, was the only thing that seemed out of place.

What was I doing? What kind of moron does it take to go against destiny?

It was not too late for me to return and be a blacksmith; the morning dew still clung to the grass sagging ever so slightly. My leather boots clobbered along the path, I considered turning around and returning to a life of certainty and safety with the pinging of metal. I was in control in the forge; as I struck the metal, it formed to what I had wanted not telling me what to do. As I meandered down the path, I realized that whatever happens out here is going to happen no matter what I thought; I was at the mercy of the wilds. I had no control.

No. That just wouldn't do; I have begun this journey. I had to follow through with this even if it kills me which it probably would since I was just a blacksmith.

There I was, a boy who knew only how to coerce metal into tools and weapons not truly understanding what was in store only that caused me to hesitate, and I heard once that to hesitate was the difference between life and death most always leading to the latter.

With half a day's trek, my inventory bag felt as though it was filled to the brim with iron and not a tent and food, and dig into my shoulders and back, but I had long ago gotten used to the feeling. Doubt already began to seep further and further into the crevasses of my mind. My feet began to feel as though they were made of iron, heavy and tiring and started to drag as did my spirit, and I had almost decided to set up a camp off the road a bit.

A smile stretched its way across my face as I crested a small hill on the road and was welcomed by the sight of a quaint little village. Its houses were made from the surrounding wood as was the village's defenses. The village square had a small stage looking thing with stocks on one side and a podium on the other. Even though it had a square, my calling it a village seemed a little bit much, but it did have a tavern. That has to account for something.

At the prospect of fresh food and a refreshing pint of ale, my boots became lighter as if feeling my spirit lighten. The smell alone made my mouth salivate, and my stomach began to mock Remnant by causing its own earthquakes.

My skin crawled as I heard the screams and shouts of the village's citizens; their voices dripped with anger like the venom from a Taijitu's fangs, but the anger wasn't alone. Anger in and of itself is dangerous when alone, but the shouts carried an emotion much more powerful, one that caused their voices to sound shaky and cowardly. Fear. Fear attracted the creatures of grimm like moths to a flame; grimm considered fear a delicacy.

Panic tried its hardest to seep into my bones, but I kept out as best I could. After the initial panic wore off, my curiosity peaked urging me to pick up speed. Squirrels scurried away as a past them hurrying up into the tall, green trees.

 _If they keep up that negativity, it is going cause grimm to spawn. What has them in such a fuss?_

I jogged over to where the mob is, and my gaze fell upon that of an ancient beast of immense size.

 _Holy…_

As my eyes fell upon the beast's thick, golden scales, fear shot through my veins causing me to freeze with my gaze locked with that of a Dragon's. The fear slowly transformed into a sudden and unknown respect for the magnitude of the creature. Its metallic gold eyes seemed so huge that I could have mistaken them for suns; it seemed as though at that moment the golden orbs pierced the deepest reaches of my soul and in that one moment they knew everything there was to know about me. As I realized that the beast was obviously far more intelligent than any other creature, my spine started to have a faint tremble to it, but not another part of my body moved.

My mother used to tell me of legends that told of beasts of unimaginable power and wisdom in a time before the Twins came to Remnant and created the first people. These beasts roamed about unbothered by anything. They were at peace with the way life was, but the beasts received visitors. The visitors named the beasts Dragons. The eldest Twin created life all across the world; his younger brother quickly became jealous. In a rage, He created the creatures of grimm, and these creatures wreaked havoc all across Remnant. The Twins made up and created humans and faunus. Seeing that this beautiful creation would need a hand, the Dragons decided to use the power of their elements and create Dust. The legends say the last Dragon left Remnant millennia ago in search of a more peaceful land, but I could not explain in any other way what just met the gaze of.

" _ **Jaune Arc, you must free me."**_ The beast slowly closed its eyes breaking our connection and releasing me from my paralysis. Its movement almost seemed lethargic as it stretched out its scaly wings. The limbs in the surrounding trees snapping with the sheer power of the wings. The scales on its back It never said a word, yet its voice boomed like a million war drums shaking the horizon.

My soul began to move before my feet did urged on by the magnificent beast before, and the dirt beneath me shifted loosely as I turned on my heels and headed towards the tavern.

The wooden door slammed open as I hurled my frame through it hoping it didn't snap in half. Everyone's attention was all on me; I felt as though there were a million people staring at me.

"Where is the Chief?" It was nearing a scream rather than a question, and it caught all of ten people's attention. With all the eyes in the room on me I felt as though the weight of their shocked expressions would crush me. The tension in the air was so thick I could choke, however, that may have just been all the pipe smoke.

"WHERE IS HE!" My throat pained as my lungs dug deep and forced it to allow such volume, and the windows shook slightly trying to escape the scream. I waited not a moment longer and stormed out of the squat little tavern.

 _What in the hell has gotten into me?_

I was just as shocked as the villagers were and maybe even more so. Never had I been so worked up over something before. Dragons were always present in the hero tales I was always told as a child, but it was never that the hero was saving the Dragon.

I spotted a building that looked a little fancier than the rest, so I made a beeline for it. This time I collected myself before I open the door. Every step I took on the old wooden floor caused it to creak and pop. It would not have surprised me if my foot fell through at any moment.

Behind the desk sat an older lady with a gruesome, smug expression, and I am being considerate calling that an expression.

"Excuse me, Miss. Do you know where I might find the Chief?" Noticing the woman's expression begin to sour more than it was, I decided to explain. "It's about the beast outside; it's quite important that I speak with him."

Upon hearing I was here on account of the fearsome beast outside, she hurried off through another set of wooden doors to find the Chief, so I could meet with him. After a few moments, she reemerged from the backroom and beckoned me in.

The Chief was quite a small fellow and not what I had expected him to be. His face looked like something out of a nightmare; his nose was crushed to the left, and his face was wrinkled showing that he was of an older age.

"Come in. Come in." He motioned me into his office with a wave of a wrinkly old hand. "It is not often that we receive guests who wish to speak with me." He finished the last bit off with a smile.

Knowing that he was the chief of a village meant that he would have a higher charisma than me, I had to think hard about what to say before answering his greeting or any questions he may have.

"Well, It's about the Dragon out there in the square. Why haven't you killed it yet?" A confused look crept across his face, all the sudden he let out a hearty laugh.

"Son, there isn't anyone in the village capable of killing him." To solidify his declaration, he pointed next to the villagers outside; the sight of broken spears and arrows proving his statement true. The beast proving to be tougher than any spear or arrow in the village.

"There is now." I said with as confident of an expression as I could muster fearing that he may have been able to see through my poorly constructed ruse.

After several long drawn out moments had passed, the man shook his head causing me to pause. Not knowing what to expect, I waited for his response.

"You are just a boy; what hope could you ever have fighting such a powerful beast?" He began to question my fighting ability. I didn't have much ability, but I did not want to be told off like that.

"You have never met me until now, and you have never seen me fight, yet you chalk me up as unworthy to even attempt taking that beast down." I was seething with anger after he doubted me; my pride had gotten the better of me. How could I ever become a hero if I never fight?

"That is a Dragon out there, you fool!" Now it was his turn to become angered in our heated discussion. "If you think you have any chance under the sun to take that beast, then you are an absolute loon." He slammed his fist on the table and looked at me funny. "You have a death wish boy?"

"No, I don't have a death wish, but I know that you have no concern for the villagers that are under your care."

 _The fear! He must not realize what could happen._

"The mass amounts of fear and anger are just begging the creatures of grimm to come and knock down your gates. If you think that keeping that beast in shackles will help your situation then you, sir, are the fool!" I seethed in anger.

 _Stupid Charisma; I might have pulled it off had I not lost my cool._

He was not too keen about being called a fool. "I am no fool, boy. I am trying to figure a way to get that thing out of my village. Now, get the hell out of my village and don't ever come back. You are lucky that I don't have you put in the stocks for that."

I spun around and burst through the small wooden door causing it to slam into the wall behind it. The floor thumped and thudded as I stormed across it not giving it time to creak under my weight.

 _That could have gone better; at least he hasn't tried to arrest me._

As I stepped into the square, I paused, and a grin began to snake its way across my face. I had a plan.

My gaze fell upon the Dragon's massive stature in all its glory as the sun shimmered of its scales. I could feel the massive golden orbs trying to meet my gaze; however, I was not remaining there for very long. I looked over my shoulder to double check that the insolent chief was not following me.

I turned around this time seeking out the beast's gaze and hoped I would not get caught doing something so insane.

" _ **Are you going to help me, Jaune?"**_ The deep bellowing voice sounded as though the beast had learned to control the thunder and used it as his speech. The question would have begged for sympathy coming from a person, but the Dragon's tone seemed majestic and almost godlike. Massive, golden eyes found their way into my soul once more, but this time, however, I felt no paralysis and nodded back to him.

 _No turning back now._

Little did I know that small motion of my head changed my life forever.

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 **I hope you enjoyed; let me know what you liked or didn't like in a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again, I am proud to present the second chapter of Forging A Dragon. As with the last chapter, I wish for you to review my work and critique it. I want you to have no mercy. You can also PM me to talk about what you like and don't like; I would love to hear from you guys. I would like to thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.**

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Crowds of people faced the beast forcing me to have to quickly come up with a plan to actually sneak up to him and let him out of here. The whole town was around him; they tried to mock him and threw rotten fruits and vegetables at him. The smell was terrible, but the prideful beast held his head high unable to have his will be broken by the village's horrible taunts. They were awful.

"VILE MONSTER!" "DECREPIT CREATURE!" "BABY EATER!" More of the villagers began to chime in screaming obscenities at the so-called "monster" in front of them. Humanity had left these humans hours ago, and they stooped to a level that made them like the monsters they hated.

I looked at the dragon's feet and saw that they were shackled to substantial wooden posts; I pondered for a bit on how I was going to help. If the dragon was freed he could scare all the villagers back away from him; even if he could not leave peacefully, he could still leave. These measly villagers could not stop him if they wanted to, and I was banking on that.

I walked out of the town's sorry excuse for a gate and made it look like I was leaving; I thought about just walking around the buildings but decided it was too risky. After walking over a hill on the path, I took a hard right straight into the woods. I made my way to behind where the dragon was being kept. I prayed that when I broke the chains that held the mighty beast there, the villagers would not have seen me. If they do see me, they will most likely try and detain me before I could free the dragon.

Closing my eyes, I tried my hardest to control my heartbeat; when my heart had calmed to a pace that prevented me from panicking, I decided to try and connect with the dragon-like before except without eye contact. I was basically praying and hoped that he would hear me.

" **I am behind you; I need to be hidden from the villagers."** I didn't know how the whole telepathic talking worked so it was a shot in the dark.

As if he had heard my thoughts and prayers, he turned his head to look in my direction and moved one of his gigantic wings in front of his legs; he had effectively hidden them from the people ahead of him.

When he turned his head, I got a better look at the size of his head; it was easily twice as big as I was and two and a half times as long. I noticed that his head was also covered in scars and battle damage, but what in Remnant can harm a dragon! The thought sent shivers down my spine, and I had to shake the thoughts out so I could move again.

I ran up behind his wing and thought about how to go about actually breaking the chains and shackles. After I looked through my pack for tools, I decided that any tool would make too much noise and alert the townsfolk.

I pulled out my scroll and unrolled its aged yellow pages looking for something useful within my skills. I saw a skill I had not noticed before, and when I read the skills description, my eyes lit up. My scroll said that the new skill gave me the ability to superheat metal without the use of tools or a forge: **Pyrokinetic Temper**.

 _Great! Another useless spell for being a hero._

I would have thrown my hands up in dismay, but I had a village of angry people just on the other side of a dragon's wing. I quickly thought of a way the skill would help me and tested the skill.

 **Pyrokinetic Temper** didn't seem like it would tax me too much, so I began to bring the metal up to melting heat. By the time that the metal had melted, I decided I had miscalculated how much energy the spell used. I was standing in a puddle of sweat before the shackle had even turned yellow. The shackle was melting and was in contact with the dragon's leg, but the beast acted as though he couldn't feel the immense heat put off by the now liquefied steel.

The steel glowed red-hot as it melted away falling to the ground and burning everything unfortunate enough to make contact with the molten steel. Even the stones used as a pathway were starting to crack and split due to the magma like metal.

The dragon realized he could move his leg around and stretched it out to the side. He was so massive that his leg cleared one of the village's huts with ease. When he had stretched it out, he turned his attention back to the previously angry townsfolk. Their once furious and fearful expressions were replaced with a new expression. Shock. They were frozen where they stood; some had fruits or vegetables in their hands mid-throw. All, however, had their mouths open wide. After a few moments the shock wore off, and fear came back. However, this time it was not accompanied by anger.

The village became a chaotic mess as screaming people ran in every different direction trying to escape what they thought was going to be a dragon's mighty wrath. The dragon was indeed angered by the townsfolk's hateful comments and let out an ear-piercing roar; the village people ducked back behind their hiding spots. Most of the villagers were trying to be as quiet as possible as if trying to stay hidden from the massive beast they had angered. The ones who weren't quiet were sobbing uncontrollably.

I could not read their minds, but they were likely thinking they were going to die here. Death by the wrath of a dragon was definitely scary; it's even scarier when it's a wrath that they had caused. The dragon used the separation and spit fire onto the other shackle causing it to do the same as the other in a quarter of the time. I was a good fifteen or so yards away from him, but the fire's intense heat still radiated to where I was standing, and it probably singed the loose threads on my clothes.

I heard a scream on the other side of a village that caused my bones to shiver. Then I heard the village's bell ringing frantically. Of course, the bell could mean two things; town meeting or Grimm; it couldn't have been a town meeting, so that left a Grimm invasion.

"Everyone! Listen up I need everyone to get inside a building as fast as you can!" I doubt they heard me but moved on their own. The Grimm came in like locusts; there must have been at least fifty of them. Most of them decided to attack the dragon, but an ursa turned off to attack a group of villagers that did react fast enough.

Stupidly, I sprinted over to them; I got there just as the nightmare bear brought down its paw for a small child. I knocked her aside and was pummeled as the paw collided with my shoulder. Pain shot through it as I stood ready to take another blow. I reached in my bag and pulled out a hammer as I crouched under a vicious claw aimed for my head. I brought the hammer up in a furious arc straight for the ursa's chin. The blow collided knocking the Grimm on its back. I realized I couldn't give it any time to get to its feet, so I rushed up to it and flailed my hammer about wildly praying a blow would land.

The beast struggle back to its feet despite my flailing blows; it reared up on its back legs and came down on top of me pinning me on the ground. Once it had me on the ground, it decided to eat me or bite me, but either way, I was going to die here.

Just before the beast's teeth dug into my flesh, it let out a howl as one of the villagers sent a pitchfork through its neck. It struck out at the man but was abrupted by another pitchfork sticking through its wrist. Soon the beast dissipated into a black mist leaving a thick, musty spelling liquid covered the ground where I was laying just seconds before. After the essence slowly seeped into the ground, there was a small piece of paper left on the ground. It was a relatively small paper, but it had an attraction to it that confused me. I picked up the paper and saw it slowly form words like my profile scroll had.

/-\  
Ursa  
lvl: 18  
ExpD: 26  
\\-/

The small paper dissipated in my hands once I had read it and a little golden light came from it and connected with my chest. It was calming and familiar, but when I gained exp from blacksmithing, it was never a golden light.

I took a moment to catch my breath, but as I breathed in, my lungs felt like they were on fire, and when I turned around the scene told me exactly why my lungs felt like they were on fire. The creatures of Grimm were in chaos; most if not all of the monsters were ablaze. The sound was absolutely horrifying; the Grimm's shrieks were ear piercing. I brought my hands to my ears to keep from going deaf. If the sounds weren't bad enough, the smell of evaporating and burning Grimm hit me like a ton of bricks causing my eyes to water.

The dragon was standing in a massive pool of Grimm essence; the pool could nearly be called a pond. He had his head held high like the Grimm were never even there. He was so magnificently powerful that he had not broken a sweat throughout the fight. The people who had seen him help out began to slowly and cautiously approach him. They had started to shout praises and thanks to him; he accepted them even though just twenty minutes before they had been taunting him.

I walked up to him and waved my hand to get his attention. He looked my way and started walking over. His steps caused the ground to shake violently he really was a massive creature. He bent his long scaly neck and looked down upon me; he just sat there staring at me as if waiting for me to say something.

" **Thank you, Jaune Arc. The Dragon Code demands that I grant you a request once a human has assisted me."** Like earlier, his voice boomed except that this time it felt kind and calming. He brought his enormous head closer towards me; my eyes watered by the heat of his breath. It smelled like ash like he had burned his insides when he let his fire loose.

"Hmm." I thought about asking him to make me into a warrior class. I ultimately decided that the worst he could say was that he couldn't. "Would you make me into a hero? I don't know exactly what powers dragons have, but you seem to have god-like powers."

His eye closed as if debating if he should turn me into what I ask for; I was worried he would tell me that he couldn't or wouldn't. After a few moments, his eyes opened with deliberate slowness.

" **Dragons are only allowed to make humans into heroes if the human makes an oath. Likewise, I can only make you into a dragon-influenced hero, but a title does not make a hero. The person does."** His enormous, golden eyes peered deep into my soul; he was hesitant about it. Who could blame him though? He was just taunted and ridiculed by a group of humans. **"I will do it for you, Jaune Arc. You must choose which of the dragon warriors you'll become."**

I was breathless. I had left home to become a hero, and now, a dragon had spoken the words I wanted to hear. After a few speechless moments, the dragon lifted his head high and shook it side to side; black drops flew off of him. He had my attention again.

"I do not know what kinds of dragon warriors there are." His head snapped to me, and he showed his teeth. He was frightening from a distance, but he was down-right horrifying up close.

" **What kind of place forgets about the beings that once ruled this world? We dragons are the entire reason that you humans were capable of surviving the massive amounts of Grimm."** He must have noticed me relax because he let out an ear-splitting roar. **"Do you think I could not end you now? Do you dare challenge my authority!?"**

After I had collected myself from that last roar. I calmed down and looked him in the eyes, and as I had expected, he looked shocked that after he had roared in my face, I could just look him in the eyes as though it never happened. "No, I know your power and how fierce your kind are. I have been told about you since I was a child; my mother was fascinated by the idea of dragons. However, it seems as though no one knows much about you mysterious wonders." He let out what I could only guess was a grunt that said "fine."

 **"Well, then I suppose you could at least tell me what kind of hero you would most want to be."**

"I would like to be a knight; they are chivalrous and kind. They protect those who need it and are happy to help." I remembered all the tales my mother told me; the knights had always been wonderful people.

" **Very well, I shall make you into a basilisk, but only after you take an oath. Basilisks are the dragon equivalent of your knights."** At that moment as if he had cast some sort of spell, I began to glow a dark purple. **"Repeat after me then. 'I, Jaune Arc, devote myself to the study and preservation of Dragon knowledge, and I swear to uphold the Dragon Code until the last breath I take.**

"I, Jaune Arc, devote myself to the study and preservation of Dragon knowledge, and I swear to uphold the Dragon Code until the last breath I take." As soon as the last word left my lips, the ominous purple light became a bright golden shine that lasted a few moments.

When all the light had faded away, my bag felt lighter than ever before. I reached into the compartment that held my scroll and pulled it out. I unraveled the familiar yellow pages and saw that there was an extra page. What had always been two pages had become three; I knew that it was due to the dragon's gift.

I was surprised to see that the first page was the same as it always had. That one word that had haunted me my entire life was still there. What made my frown become a smile; however, was on the next page. The second page had the same layout as the first except that it had no attributes on it; other than that, the only real thing that was different was the word: **Basilisk**.

\\-/

Jaune Arc

Greenwood

Basilisk

Level: 1

 **Soul Skill**

Dragon Heart - Increases the basilisks constitution and willpower by 25%.

/-\

I suddenly became curious about something I had not noticed at the time; I decided to ask. "If you are as powerful as you appear, how come you didn't melt the shackles yourself?" It seemed like he was glad I asked because it didn't take him long to respond.

 **"Because, young man, I, Birryn the Golden, am bound by the Dragon Code to the ultimate protection of the human race. Had I melted the shackles and killed a poor human or faunus that stood too close, I would have been banished from the Land of the Rising Sun, a magnificent place where the dragons roam free."** He immediately relaxed around me as if I was no longer a threat to him. His tone softened to the point that his voice wasn't booming anymore. He did not even notice my wonder as his eyes glistened as he spoke about his homeland; he seemed mighty proud to live there. This noble, magnificent creature acted like a child who was describing his family. Then like he had seen a ghost, his expression soured. **"My people are in grave danger, young Arc; we have forever roamed the lands of remnant never being seen since we found a home. Now a group of maniacal people wishes to exterminate us like roaches. If you swear to help me save my people, I can grant you another request."**

"I would gladly help you, Birryn. You helped me tremendously; it is only right." I looked into his golden eyes once more and felt a connection to the beast before me. There was something about him that seemed… familiar.

" **First, I need to tell you that if you are to be a basilisk, you will need a dragon guardian. Someone who will watch over you and teach you. He is a vital being."** Knowing that I had heard stories and legends of dragons must have made him believe I knew their names, but I did not.

"Birryn." I barely let him finish his sentence.

His eyes became even larger than they were before, and as if he had seen a ghost, his head shot way up and looked around like I had said something wrong.

" **I do not know that I am permitted to be your guardian. It is a highly prestigious permission given to dragons. I will have to go before the Council. Jaune Arc, I wish you well and will find you with an answer."** With that Birryn flew off into the sky; his wings beat slowly but propelled him faster than anything I had ever before seen.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." The chief from early came sprinting up to me and hit his knees in front of me; he continually thanked me. I was taken back by this sudden act of gratitude; I had done nothing to help this town. Why was he thanking me? He should've thanked Birryn. "You saved my daughter! Thank you so much. You will have our nicest room prepared for you to rest in. It may not be great, but it is our best."

He was sobbing uncontrollably as he thanked me and threw his hands out towards mine; I felt honored and pleased with myself. However, a thought popped into my head, and I began to sadden.

"Sir, I had only distracted the beast; your village's people are the real heroes. They banded together to kill the creature that threatened the beast." I felt better about myself without the guilt of accepting praise that wasn't mine.

"That may be true, young man, but your simple, selfless act of compassion and courage broke their fear. You are the _real_ hero." His smile was engraved in my memory as it calmed me down and made me feel wanted again.

 _But was I really a hero._

I told myself that I was, but I did not feel like I had honestly done anything of heroic detail. Was I a hero? To that man I was a hero, but had an outsider or the Twins forbid, a real hero seen that would they feel the same?

The room was not all that big; it may have fit two people comfortably. Maybe. The bed was a small straw bed only meant for one person. The walls were sloppily put up; apparently, the village had no carpenters or builders. It was a functional construction, but it was visually unattractive. The sheets were dirty and stained; the sheets had been cleaned as best they could be before I was given the room. Years of use, however, caused them to have a spotted and ruined appearance.

I told myself to worry about whether or not I was really a hero later and drifted off to sleep into the straw bed the mayor had let me sleep in.

Meanwhile on a shipping dock in Vale…

"Get a move on it! Roman said he wanted this Dust an hour ago." A man with a white bone mask was barking out orders as workers wearing the same mask loaded crates onto a ship. The workers and the man barking orders were wearing all black except their masks; the tunics they had on had a purple dragon head with a slash through it. "He is going to skin all of us alive if we don't hurry."

At the thought of death, the men started to pick up the pace as they loaded one ship full. It left the bay hoisting a massive sail with the same emblem on it, and another identical ship took its place ready for loading; men hurriedly loaded the vessel seeking not to enrage their merciless leader.

A massive ship cruised into the harbor bearing the same ensign, and fear struck through the man's bones. He frantically shouted orders screaming at the grunts to hurry up. "Everyone! Roman is in the harbor! Hurry up, or we'll all be dead men."

The massive ship slowly floated its way next to the pier; the vessel dwarfed the cargo ships. A man in a long white tunic walked off the ship; as he walked down the pier, men who were looking forward looked down at their feet to avoid the ire of the leader. The man crushed a cigar out on one of the grunts arms causing him to quietly whimper. He walked with deliberate slowness and show as if he had to prove he was the leader.

"Why in the hell are my shipments late!?" Steam seemed to rise from his ears as he screamed at the foreman; as he screamed at him, the foreman shook. A scar on his neck from a whip the leader carried around showed he knew all too well the cruelty of the red-haired man.

Roman looked as though he would kill his foreman in a moment's notice but thought better of it; the foreman had been a good and faithful man who did as he was told to his best ability. Roman looked at him with a sympathetic expression; he lit another cigar and pressed onto the cheek of the foreman, causing the foreman to hit his knees screaming.

"A smart leader would have you killed… but there is no sense in killing someone so faithful." The foreman's eyes wear teary from the pain, but he managed a thank you and stood. The foreman turned and screamed a few orders to nearby workers.

"I needed these shipments hours ago!" His rage came back as all the grunts had stopped to watch his assault on the foreman. "Why are you idiots standing around? Didn't you hear the foreman? Get a move on!" At his last command, he turned on his heels and walked to his ship.

 _What in the hell just happened!? I just spoke with a dragon!_

I had walked for a few hours, and the shock was still at the forefront of my thoughts. The encounter plagued my thoughts as I remembered the attack on the town and breaking the majestic beast out. It had been one hell of a day and my night had been just as restless. I kept dreaming of my home; I kept waking up and trying to talk to my brothers only to remember they weren't there. I dreamed of sitting at the forge heating a billet of iron for a horseshoe; I watched as the metal went from a cherry red to a sunset orange. I had been at peace there, but I was bored. I saw a dragon flying towards my house; it ripped the roof of off my shop and yanked me out.

 _What the in the hell is that supposed to mean!?_

Another thought began to come up more and more often, or rather, an image. The site of an ursa's mouth open wide and ready to bite down on my throat. The image would forever be ingrained in my thoughts. I had stared death in the face, and thanks to the help of villagers like me, I had lived to see another day.

I had been walking westward on the same dirt path as before except now, the path was wider and more traveled. Horse prints and cart tracks covered the path now showing a more frequented path. The trees still hung over the path, but it was easily wide enough for a cart or two.

When I was brought out of my deep thought, I noticed that the birds stopped singing and the squirrels quit scurrying about the trees. A bush of to the left of the path rustled, and a few twigs broke. Curious, I walked over to the bush and pulled it apart so could see into it.

A small monkey was sitting in the bush ripping apart a squirrel. It was a small creature, so I relaxed a little, but when it looked up at me, my blood ran cold. Its beady red eyes stared back at me through a white mask. The mask appeared to be a bone or ivory material; it would have been pure white except for the blood that was smeared around its mouth. It let out a howl that should not have been possible for its tiny stature. I reached up and grabbed my ears. The creature took this as a chance to attack me and leaped onto my face. I pulled it off and threw it against a nearby tree causing it to whimper for a second and then howl again. This howl had a different feel to it, and I realized why.

Monkeys of different sizes came shooting from the trees towards me. Each of them had their own distinct sound as they howled and screamed. I was shaking terribly; I knew that with my ability to fight, or lack thereof, I would die here monkey food. The first monkey reached me and clawed at my face before hopping off. As soon as he was off of me, another was biting onto my shoulder. One grabbed hold of my ankle and bit down on my calf, and another was clawing for my heart. I managed to swing my hammer and smashed it into the skull of the monkey that had called all of his buddies. His head split open, and he evaporated into that familiar black mist and leftover goo accompanied by the creature drop sheet. I felt my strength failing, and I was going to pass out.

All of a sudden, the monkey that was chewing on my shoulder exploded as a battle-ax ripped through it. The figure whose arm had swung the battle-ax stood over me; protecting me from the small Grimm. He swung his ax like it was a feather; the speed alone was breathtaking. He caught the monkeys in midair and sliced in all directions. However, it was his precision that got me; not once did he miss his targets even with the high speeds of the monkeys. He hacked to his left causing a big monkey to be split in two; at an instant, he spun to his right lodging his ax into the skull of another.

 _Did he just cut that thing in half!?_

As he was hacking and slashing the small monkeys, I began to fade out of consciousness. Just before I blacked out, I noticed the figure's animalistic horns; they looked similar to a rhino's but smaller.

"Tha…" Everything went black.

" _ **I see you, Jaune."**_

* * *

 **Thank you again for reading! Let me know what you think. If you didn't like something feel free to let me know; you won't hurt my feelings any. I need the criticism anyway. Come back for next Friday's chapter and have a wonderful rest of the day/night!**


	3. Apology and Proposal

Alright everyone, I am starting to work on a new story. Due to sheer laziness and lack of organizational skills, I became distracted from my story and lost all of my notes on it. Unfortunately, that means this story may never be resumed. However, I am not totally against starting back on it. I want to use quite a few of the aspects of this story for my next story. I would like your input on this decision. Send me a PM if you are interested or if you want to tell me I am an idiot. ありがとうございます。


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